I'm Okay
by SLopez
Summary: Set somewhere in a near future. Rachel is learning how to live without Finn in her life.  "I'm not good without you. I'm definitely not great without you. But I'm okay without you." COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

_Hello everyone! How was New Year? Hope it had been fun! Mine was definitely not fun, but it was quiet and warm, so I still loved it! :)_

_So, I was trying to sleep yesterday and this story kept rolling on and on in my head. I had to put it on paper and today on my computer and voilà, here it is._

_It's just a little drabble in some place in a very near future. It's spec of my own and I really doubt this is going to happen, but, well *shrugs* it would be cool if it happened. Our Rachel girl needs to stick up for herself already and I'm sick of reading stories about her chasing Finn..._ again_! So if you're looking for a Finchel happy ending, read one of my other Glee stories, you'll find it there! :) This story only has a Rachel happy ending._

_Also, I had one or two reviews on my "Finn's Christmas Carol" story saying that my writing is confusing and that I should get a beta. I'm all for it, but I don't know how it works, so if someone wants to help me with my stories, I'd be more than willing to accept said help._

_Now, I already took too much of your time and I should be studying anyways, so onto the story!_

_**Disclaimer:** Don't own Glee. If it was mine I would put some heavy girl power in there! :)_

* * *

**I'm okay**

A little over a month after Sectionals, Rachel Berry quit the glee club. It had coincided with Kurt's return to McKinley and therefore to the glee club.

It wasn't an easy decision and it was definitely not because Kurt was going to steal her spotlight. He was her friend now, she wouldn't care about that.

Glee club was everything to her, it was her life and, for a moment in the past, she thought about her teammates as family. She couldn't be more wrong. But, oh well, they needed her or else they wouldn't have the required number of members to compete. However, she didn't sing anymore, she didn't boss around or comment on other's performances. She didn't even bring ideas to rehearsals anymore.

No one seemed to notice.

When Kurt told her he was going back to McKinley, she thanked heaven for it. The timing couldn't be more perfect.

Weeks after she left the glee club, she was picking some books out of her locker, when she heard someone call her name. She instantly recognized the voice and felt an involuntary pang on her chest.

"Can I talk to you?" Finn asked, in a worried voice. Her back was still turned to him, but he saw her nodding. He waited patiently while she took her time to dispose some books and take the ones she needed.

"What seems to be the problem, Finn?" Rachel asked, nonchalantly, pretending he didn't affect her anymore. However, he wanted to make the task harder and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you okay? You're not yourself, Rach… You left us and… You're not Rachel anymore."

She looked at him with wide eyes.

"I'm fine, Finn. Thanks for your concern." Rachel shook his hands off of her and turned around.

Finn grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"Look, I don't wanna do the same thing I did to you last year. I don't wanna use you." he paused "So, I'm going straight to the point. Regionals are up soon and we need you Rachel."

She seemed to soften but only for a split second.

"I don't believe in you. The New Directions don't need me."

"We do! You were always our star, Rach, that doesn't change from one day to another. Besides, we miss you…" he paused, looking down, sheepishly "I miss you. And Kurt's always talking and asking about you. He misses you too!"

Rachel laughed sarcastically, so out of herself, so out of her personality. He had never heard her laugh that way before.

"I don't doubt that, but think about it in this way, Finn… New Directions won Sectionals without my singing talent. I hardly believe someone's even took the time to notice I'm not there anymore, so, I'm sorry, but I don't believe I'm needed now. You are perfectly fine without my annoying and bossy attitude."

"We didn't win, Rachel. We came first along with those Warblers' dudes." he squeezed her arm a little "We really need you right now."

Rachel studied him for a moment and stepped back, releasing herself from his grasp.

"I'm sorry Finn. I made up my mind and Kurt is back, so unless you'd be reduced to eleven members again, don't count on me."

She turned on her heels once again and started to walk down the hall. Startled at first, Finn finally woke up from his surprised state.

"Will you let this cost you your dream?"

She turned to him, staring right into his eyes.

"I'm okay without it. Just like I'm okay without you."

He seemed puzzled at her statement and, most of all, surprised. That was not the Rachel Berry he knew and, secretly, still loved.

"Finn…" her voice was low and she was looking at him with those big chocolate soul-piercing eyes "I'm not good without you. I'm definitely not great without you. But I'm okay without you. I learned how to and I finally achieved it. As well as being out of the New Directions. I'm finally used to it. I'm not going back to some place where I'm not wanted. Plus, you still hold a lot of hatred toward me and while I might be okay with that, it still hurts. Even more when you're avoiding me or flirting with the other girls. I may be already accustomed to it, but it doesn't mean I like it. So… just let me be."

Finally, Rachel realized she had talked too much and shut her mouth waiting for Finn to say something. As he remained silent, she got ready to leave.

"Well, it was nice to talk to you again, Finn. I'm sorry about my rant, though. If you see Kurt… of course you will see him, you live with him… Anyway, tell him I say hi. I don't even see him anymore, these days. It's like we're not even in the same school again." she chuckled lightly "Goodbye Finn, I'm already late for class."

Finn stood behind, floored, while she progressed her path to the classroom. That was the first time Rachel stood up for herself, when it comes to matters related to Finn. That was the first time she was able to say no to him, with that fervent belief she was known for.

For the first time in a long time, she felt proud of herself.

* * *

_So, what do you think?_

_Is it too weird or kind of acceptable?_

_Let me know!_

_SLopez_


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello there!_

_First of all, I want to thank all of you who read this story, reviewed, added to favorites and/or story alert! It really meant a lot to me!_

_This wasn't meant to be a multi-chapter story, but due to the feedback I had and to my insomnia state these days, I had another idea and decided to add it to the story. Apparently the best ideas come to you when you're trying to sleep! :)_

_Anyway, I hope that, by doing this, I don't ruin the original one-shot, which was kind of nice (if I may say). If I do ruin it, my apologies in advance._

_**Disclaimer:** Don't own, just borrowing the characters..._

* * *

One day, after her altercation with Finn in the hallway, Rachel was surprised to find him waiting for her by her locker.

"Hi, Rach!" he greeted, giving her an uneasy grin.

"Hello Finn. Can I help you with something?"

He hesitated a second.

"Actually… yes, I need your help with something." When she was about to speak, he cut her off "It's not about the glee club."

She nodded slightly.

"Okay. Go on."

He swallowed hard. It was painful to be just a few inches from her and not be able to hold her in his arms or, worse, not to kiss her.

"I need tutoring lessons on US History and since you're the smartest person I know, I thought you could help me."

Rachel looked at him with wide eyes. She expected everything but that. But he was her softest soft and would always be, so, as always, she agreed to help him.

That afternoon, she found herself with him in her living room. She still couldn't allow herself to be alone with him in her bedroom. It brings too many memories. She would actually prefer if they studied at the school library, but Finn pointed out that there they couldn't discuss his lessons properly. Once again, she agreed.

They were doing the exercises from chapter 6 of the US History book when Finn started to talk, startling her.

"Today, at rehearsal, Mercedes asked about you." She froze for moments, but then continued with the exercises, pretending she hadn't heard him "She said she missed you and your storm outs." He chuckled lightly.

She replied coldly, without taking her eyes out of her notebook.

"Let's just focus on US History, for now. We can talk when we're finished."

They never did.

When that day's lesson was over, she made up some excuse and Finn had to leave. He considered himself dumb or stupid or both, but he wasn't that dumb to understand that she didn't want to talk about glee club. She expected him to understand that. However, he played dumb most of the times.

He started with little things like humming _Don't Stop Believing_ or _Faithfully_ or any other song they had sung together. Then it evolved into something like "Today, we were singing some songs from that musical, _West Side Story_… it's one of your favorites, right? Well, then there was one song that Kurt said it would totally be perfect for your vocals."

She always asked him, well, more like begged him, to stop singing or talking and return to the task they had at hands. He knew, those times, that he was getting to her, he was reaching her.

One day, in one of those lessons, Rachel excused herself to go to the bathroom. When she neared the living room again, she heard him singing out loud. Not humming or mumbling random lyrics from random songs they sang, but actually singing.

_So maybe if you're hurting  
All I'm asking for is just one sign_  
'_Cause I've never met anyone who was lost  
But didn't want to be found_

_So if you got a candle, you better light it now  
And if you got a voice, you better shout out loud  
Raise your hands above this crowd  
And I will reach you  
Can you hear me? Can you hear me now?_

Those particular lines seemed to have some special meaning for him. He was singing them with his eyes closed, while she watched him, amused. He was holding his pen and his pencil, pretending he was playing the drums. Then, he opened his eyes and, spotting her, he stopped singing, abruptly.

The next day he brought up that Quinn had asked about her and why his lazy ass wouldn't bring her back to New Directions already. After saying that, he let out a chuckle and she gave him a small smile.

"You can tell her I'm not going back to New Directions anytime soon." His face fell and she felt momentarily guilty "Now, let's get back to that exercise we both have doubts on."

That night, she cried herself to sleep, repeating one time after another "You're okay without it. You're okay without _him_. You're okay."

In the next two days, Finn was extra careful and didn't talk about the club or sang. He knew doing that affected her more than she cared to let the others know. So, he remained quiet, paying attention to the things she said about US History and only about US History.

The day after those, they were taking notes when, without even realize it, Finn started to hum a melody. Then, the lyrics came out of his lips easily, softly.

_When you're close, all I know is  
I don't wanna let you go_

_Hello happiness, tell me where you've been  
I miss the sound of your voice  
I miss the touch of your skin  
It's no secret I'm not who I used to be  
Anyone can see you're the difference in me_

Rachel could only stare at him, during his whole impromptu and when he raised his eyes from his book, he glanced at her, locked eyes with her and repeated, singing.

_Yeah, the difference in me_

He tried to reach her hand, but she stood up, quickly getting as far away from him as she could.

"We're done for today." She stated, her voice faltering.

"But we just started, Rach!" he protested.

"Why are you doing this, Finn?" she was on the verge of crying, he could tell "Why? Didn't you hurt me enough?"

He stood up as well, approaching her. He took one step forward and she took two steps backwards, away from him.

"Please, Rach. I was just trying…"

"I know what you are trying, Finn!" she cut him off "You said you were not going to use me like last year, but that's exactly what you're doing! You're using me again, trying to take me back to glee club, but I don't want to! I'm okay without it!"

Finn's shoulders slumped, defeated.

"Why do you keep saying that? Do you think that if you repeat it enough times, it turns out to be real? Well it doesn't Rachel! I can see it in your eyes. You miss the glee club just as much as you miss me. That's why you accepted tutoring me."

Rachel glared at him. _Who does he think he is?_

"Who do you think you are? My world does not revolve around you anymore! You wanted space, so I gave it to you. I accepted this tutoring deal, because above the being your girlfriend thing, I was your _friend_!"

He looked her in her eyes.

"I don't need space anymore." He stated, trying to approach her again.

"Well, I'm the one who needs space, now!" she yelled, tears staining her face "I'm okay without you, I'm okay! I don't need you to stomp all over my heart again. And I don't need the glee club to do it as well."

He neared her enough to grab her hand, which she quickly tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip.

"You know I won't give up that easy."

Rachel sneered at him, releasing from his grasp.

"Sure you won't… You know you said that last year, too. And what did you do to win me back, Finn?"

He didn't have an answer for her.

"Exactly! Nothing. Apart from serenading me _Jessie's Girl_ you did nothing to prove you have ever loved me. You were too busy jumping into_ super hot_ Santana's pants and that's why we are this heartbroken in the first place. If you _hadn't given up that easy_ the week before Sectionals, we could have talked that subject out and I would have forgiven you. Like I always do." She paused, sighing heavily and trying to gain composure "None of that matters now. I also messed up. What I did was beyond bad. It was mean, I know it. But I already apologized _plenty_, didn't I? I'm okay without you." She repeated "Now, please leave. We're done for today. No, scratch that. This tutoring thing… we're done for good."

When she finished talking, Finn started to pack his books, knowing too well the meaning behind her last words. She was, _oh, the irony_, officially breaking up with him. She was breaking up their friendship. And he was the cause of that.

He screwed up. They had both screwed up in the past. But he screwed up now. There was no way he would win her back. And, unless a miracle happened, glee club wouldn't win her back, either.

As soon as he left, Rachel ran upstairs to her room. She jumped onto the bed, curled in a ball and allowed herself to crumble and be reduced to tears, repeating her mantra over and over again.

_You're okay without him. You are. You're totally okay without him…_

_

* * *

_

_I have to say, while writing this story, I tried not to take sides, but with me being a girl, it's hard not to take Rachel's. I know what she did was mean, like really mean. I would never do that to my boyfriend, that's for sure. But he hurt her so many times and she always forgave him. He is a hipocrite when it turns to Rachel. But, well, it's all the writers fault... I think they should hire new ones for the show, honestly._

_Also, the lyrics I put in the chapter are from "I Will Reach You" and "Difference In Me", respectively, both by Westlife. Honestly, I can't see Finn singing a Westlife song, but these ones fit perfectly in the story, so... hope you also enjoy the songs! :)  
_

_So, about the story, what do you think? Did I ruin the first chapter or somehow improved the story? I was thinking about writing one more chapter to give them closure or something like that... What do you think?_

_Let me know!_

_SLopez_


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello!_

_Here I am for the last chapter of this story! I thank all of you who reviewed, added to favorites and/or story alert! :) It really meant a lot and without it I wouldn't be able to continue with this story!_

_Thanks for the great hints you all gave me! I tried to throw them into the story as long as they fit._

_This chapter turned out to be a little bigger than I had in mind and there's also some bits where it may be confusing (I know I was confused while writing)._

_Anyway, onto the story!_

_**Disclaimer:** Don't own neither the show, nor the songs... unfortunately._

* * *

Her life was full of mysteries.

She actually still doesn't know how she ended up there, in the first place.

One day she was passing by the auditorium and Mercedes came out, almost running into her.

"Rachel! I'm so glad I found you! Call the nurse! Or 911!" Rachel wanted to understand what was going on and why was the nurse or the 911 needed. Then she heard something with 'Lauren Zizes' and 'sugar overdosed' in the same sentence.

Three days later, she found herself at Regionals, singing a duet… with Finn.

_I'm sorry that I hurt you  
It's something I must live with everyday  
And all the pain I put you through  
I wish that I could take it all away  
And be the one who catches all your tears  
That's why I need you to hear_

_I found a reason for me  
To change who I used to be  
A reason to start over new  
And the reason is you_

_I found a reason to show  
A side of me you didn't know  
A reason for all that I do  
And the reason is you_

Their voices blended so perfectly and the lyrics fit perfectly with their relationship. All she could do was pouring her heart and soul into the song. God, she missed singing! And she missed the club… _So much_!

However, she didn't understand why they gave her all the leads. She asked several times why she would be the lead singer in every song, if she was just filling Lauren's place.

The answers always came to her implausible. Kurt said that Lauren had grown in the club. Mercedes informed her that Lauren had a more active job in the club, since she left. They only threw brief responses like that at her, totally and visibly false.

Then, Regionals were over as soon as they started.

They won.

They didn't tie, they didn't go as runner-ups. They actually won. They were going to Nationals. In _New York_!

More good news: the Warblers were the runner-ups.

_Suck it, Vocal Adrenaline and Sunshine Corazon! _Her competitive nature was kicking in again and she was more than willing to accept it back. It was part of who she is, one of the many things that define her. If people don't like it, it's their problem!

When they handed the trophy to Mr. Schuester, his expression was priceless. He looked so happy, so proud of them and it was so contagious that she was beaming as well as everybody in the club. She couldn't recall the last moment she felt this happy. It was so overwhelming that she couldn't sustain the tears she had been holding on.

"What's wrong, baby Barbra?" Kurt asked, worry written all over his eyes. That only made her sobs more frantic and loud.

"Nothing. Happy tears!" was all she managed to say between the sobs and the tears.

He hugged her, protectively. It reminded her of Finn. He used to hug her like that. In that moment, he was sitting across from her in the green room, looking at her and Kurt in pure amazement. She cried harder for completely different reasons. Kurt didn't notice the change and let her soak his shirt.

"You know you'll be paying for dry cleaning this, don't you?" he asked and she could hear the grin in his voice.

Rachel looked at the fabulous boy in front of her with shimmering eyes and nodded. Who'd know that she would actually be friends with her biggest rival?

Her life was full of mysteries.

The next Monday, she found herself wandering at McKinley's halls alone again. Regionals seemed now a dream or a distant past life.

She neared her locker and was surprised to find Puck leaning against it.

"Hey Berry!" he greeted, smirking as always.

"What do you want, Noah? It's better if you just stay away from me. You're trouble!"

He chuckled, amused.

"Yes, I am!" he proudly replied "Look, I have orders to get you to the choir room as soon as possible, so if you don't mind, walk with me?"

Her eyes narrowed.

"No thanks. Remember what happened the last time you asked me to walk with you?"

He snorted, impatient.

"Come on, Berry, it's not like that. It's just the choir room! Look, you can make it easy for you and just follow me, or I'll take you the hard way."

Moments later, Puck entered the choir room carrying Rachel on his shoulder. She kept repeating "Put me down, Noah Puckerman, or I'll make sure my dads will fill a restraining order against you!" He put her down and when everyone eyed him, questioningly, he shrugged.

"She wasn't being cooperative…"

The tiny girl was in front of the whole club, frowning, with her arms folded. Then, she heard Mr. Schue's voice.

"Hi Rachel. I hope everything's fine with you. Your friends have something ready for you as thanks for your helping at Regionals. Just sit and enjoy."

Kurt approached her with a chair and Rachel, still dumbfounded, sat on it. Soon, the melody started and she didn't recognize it. With surprise, she watched as Quinn started to sing, kneeling in front of her.

_If I got on my knees  
And I pleaded with you  
Not to go, but to stay in my arms  
Would you walk out the door  
Like you did, once before?  
This time, be different  
Please stay  
Don't go_

Brittany and Artie joined her in the last lines. Mercedes took the lead after that.

_If I called out your name  
Like a prayer  
Would you leave me alone  
With my tears,  
Knowing I need you so?  
Would you still turn and go?  
This time, be different  
Please stay  
Don't go, please stay_

Again, in the last lines, Mercedes had Sam and Tina backing her up. She watched, surprised, as Finn took the third verse of the song.

_I loved you before  
I even knew your name  
And I wanted to give you my heart  
But then you came back  
After leaving me one time  
I knew that the heartache would stop_

Her eyes started to fill with tears and she didn't know how much longer she could hold them. Then, she heard Kurt's voice singing the first part of the fourth verse, followed by Puck, with Mike and Lauren backing up.

_If I called out your name  
Like a song  
That was written for you  
You alone  
Would you still hurt my pride?  
Oh hear how I cry  
This time, be different  
Please stay  
Please stay_

Then, they all wrapped up the song in unison.

_Don't go, please stay  
Don't go, please stay_

Her tears were falling freely and she didn't mind. How could she ever say no to that? She's not that big of a diva and she's definitely, despite what others may think, not heartless.

Kurt's voice took her off of her thoughts.

"Rachel, sweetie, as you may have noticed, we arranged this with a purpose. We need you in the glee club. Not because we need a twelfth member but because we need _you_. And your talent, but that's secondary. And don't feel guilty! We really don't need a twelfth member, because Lauren Zizes will not leave us."

"You can bet on that!" said the girl, with a chocolate bar in her hand.

Rachel only acknowledged her presence in that moment, as well as Santana's, who was sitting as far away from them as possible and, apparently, beyond annoyed.

"Lauren! Are you alright? Are you sure you should be eating sugar already?" asked Rachel, worried.

"Chill, girl! That thing was staged by them to get you back to the club."

Rachel looked at them, incredulously.

"Shut it, Zizes." Started Mercedes "You've talked too much." Then she turned to Rachel "Well Rachel, what she said is true, we used you but because we want you back. You may not believe this, but we missed you like crazy! I asked white boy Finn lots of times about you and he couldn't come up with a single decent answer. We didn't even know he was taking tutoring lessons from you. One day he came to rehearsal really bummed, we asked him what was going on and that's when he told us you had broken up your friendship with him."

"Yeah, the dude's been miserable since you left and he's worse since that episode." Stated Puck.

"Can you please stop talking about me like I'm not here?" Finn asked.

"We missed you, Berry." Said Puck, ignoring Finn's comment. Sam, Artie, Brittany, Tina and Mike nodded in agreement.

She was astonished by that, but what surprised her most was when Quinn spoke.

"You know, I never imagined myself saying this, and I know I said I wanted to punch you every time you opened your mouth, but you were really missed here. We missed your bossing attitude, your storm outs, your crazy ideas, everything about you. I know I did miss that!" Rachel gave her a smile and Quinn smiled back "Besides, Mr. Schue was always pairing me up with Sam, because Finn refused to sing with anyone that wasn't you, and I was tired of being in the spotlight. That was always your thing, not mine!" she added with a smile.

Rachel glanced at the other girl's finger that used to be adorned with the promise ring Sam has given to her, but it wasn't there anymore. Something must have gone wrong with those two. She surely missed a lot of things in the time she was apart from the glee club. Quinn seemed to read her mind.

"Plus, everyone knows that Sam and I don't have that great chemistry you and Finn have!"

The entire club chuckled and Rachel looked over at Finn to see him blushing. She wanted to kiss him so much in that moment. However, he hadn't said a word yet.

"So will you stay?" asked Tina, with an uneasy voice.

She beamed at them, all of her friends and also at the teacher.

"Yes, I'd be honored to be your teammate again!"

They all hurried to her and engulfed her in a big group hug. Except for Santana, who still looked annoyed. And Finn, who had shoved his hands into his pockets and just stared sorely at her.

"It's good to have you back." Mr. Schue said, seemingly honest.

"It's good to be back." Replied Rachel, smiling happily.

Santana's voice was heard, like a hiss.

"Is this freak show over yet?" Everyone glared at her, but then Mr. Schue dismissed them.

They started to pack their things and leave the room after sharing smiles with Rachel. Without noticing, she found herself alone with Finn and she waited for the pang on her chest.

"Would you walk with me?" he asked, his voice only above a whisper.

She nodded, with her heart still so tightened, that she felt the urge to grip her books even more closely to her chest. When they were in the hallway, heading to her locker (or his, they don't quite know), she started to speak.

"You said nothing back there." She stated the obvious.

"Well, I had nothing to say back there."

Rachel nodded, slowly.

"You don't want me back in the glee club." It wasn't a question. She looked sheepishly at her feet.

Finn stopped on his tracks. Then, he put his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to face him.

"Rachel, there was nothing I wanted more than to have you back in the glee club. Didn't you hear me sing? I meant it. I _really_ loved you before I knew your name, because I fell in love with you when we first sang together. And though you were scary that day, I was already loving you, but I didn't remember your name, by that time. And I only noticed I loved you near Regionals. And I actually changed the original lyrics of this song we just sang to you, because it said _that the heartache would start_, but if you'd come back to New Directions, my heartache would definitely stop. And it is stopping. A little. It's like baby steps. It only feels a little tight right now, my heart. Because I don't know where we are." He paused, knowing he was rambling. He did that a lot when he was nervous and he didn't know if he was making any sense. She seemed to be understanding, though "I'm not making sense, am I? What I mean is… what do you want to do about us? You broke up our friendship at your place, I got that. Loud and clear. But I know you still have feelings for me. And I know I still have feelings for you. You heard what they said. I've been miserable, Rach, just as much as you've been."

Rachel looked him in the eyes and took a deep breath. The pang in her heart was slowly disappearing. First, the glee clubbers said they missed her. All of them! No, Santana doesn't count. And now Finn, the one she thought that didn't want her back, actually _wanted her back_ in more ways than she ever allowed herself to suppose. She didn't feel this kind of happy in a long time.

"I don't have feelings for you… I love you, Finn. I love you so badly it hurts when I think about it." She paused, looking into his eyes. He opened his mouth, but she raised a hand to make him stop "I love you, but I don't think we are ready to be in a relationship again. We're not good together right now." His face fell, deflated by her words, and she felt the lump starting to form in her throat "I may be okay without you as my boyfriend… but I'm definitely not okay without you as my friend."

Finn let the words settle, holding her intense gaze. Suddenly, he pulled her into a bear hug. They stood there, in the hallway, hugging each other, without noticing or caring about what the others were saying.

Silent tears were soaking his t-shirt as she stayed leaned into his chest. On the other hand, Finn was resting his chin against the top of her head, with his eyes closed. He was savoring the moment for as long as he could.

"It's better to be your friend, than not be in your life at all, Rach." He whispered softly into her hair, pulling back slightly to see her face. "I love you too, Rachel. And I know you're right, we're not ready to be what we were, where we were, but I'll wait. I'll wait forever, if that's the time it takes for us to be a couple again. Because I love you and I know how cheesy this sounds, but you're the one for me."

She let out a strangled noise, something between a chuckle and a sob that he somehow found adorable. Who was he kidding? Everything about Rachel Berry was adorable. He gently pressed his lips against her forehead.

"I'm okay with being your friend, Rach. I'm ready whenever you are."

She gave him a small smile and softly caressed his cheek, before standing up on her tiptoes and laying a chaste, simple kiss on his other cheek.

"Baby steps, Finn." She said, using his previous words. She smiled and he smiled back.

Yes, they were not good without each other and definitely not great without each other, but, for now, they were okay without each other.

It took several weeks for them to rebuild their trust in each other, but eventually they got back together. Their friendship was stronger than it ever has been and the love was still there. It will always be there.

It happened two weeks before Nationals. They were at glee club rehearsal, practicing their duet, the wonderful ballad _Come What May_ from the Moulin Rouge movie soundtrack. The song ended and Rachel jumped into Finn's arms, hugging him tightly, while he circled his arms around her tiny waist.

"I love you." He mumbled into her hair.

She pulled back slightly and then leaned into him, gently brushing her lips against his. They melted into the kiss, oblivious to the presence of their teammates.

"It was about time!" shouted Puck, making them stop the kiss and blush furiously "Seriously, I was getting tired of all the eye-sex you two were having lately."

Everyone chuckled. The group, so weird and full of misfits, the perfect combination between the popular ones and the geeks, was stronger than ever. Sure, they had their differences, but they also learned out to pass past them. They knew what friendship was about and they understood each other. Even Santana had a great improvement.

After Finn and Rachel took their seats in the choir room, next to each other, he leaned into her.

"I'd really like to take you out on a date." He whispered "Would you like to be my girlfriend?"

She quickly turned her head to face him. He had his trademark half-grin on and she beamed her million megawatt smile at him.

"I'd love to, Finn!"

There were times when she wondered if she would ever be great again, when she was just okay or good.

She thought, in that moment, that it was it. She was great. Except she wasn't great, nor good, neither okay.

No. She was much more than any of that. She was all of them together. Without forgetting magnificent and wonderful.

She was truly and completely happy.

**THE END**

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_And that's it! Now it's definitely complete and I won't add any more chapters to this! :)_

_There's a few things I need to say. The story wasn't suppose to end this way. It was suppose to end in the hallway scene, after Finn and Rachel decided they should be just friends. However, and contrary to what I said in the first chapter, I couldn't resist but to give them a happy ending! :) But then again, the story was suppose to be just a one-shot, so I think you'll forgive me, right? Right? :)_

_The songs in this chapter are "The Reason" by Hoobastank and "Please Stay" by Westlife (yes, I'm pretty infatuated with their album "Gravity" and I couldn't find another song to that particular moment, when they're asking Rachel to stay in glee club, so this one fits, hopefully)._

_Now, what did you think about the chapter? Or, generally, about the story?_

_Let me know!_

_SLopez_


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